


seeing stars

by halfwheeze



Series: Marvel Spookytober 2019 [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Insecurity, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark at MIT, M/M, MIT Era, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Universe Vague
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-28 17:21:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20970227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfwheeze/pseuds/halfwheeze
Summary: it's six months after tony's birthday, but it's not like he ever remembers what day it is.it's six months after tony's birthday, and he's seeing stars.





	seeing stars

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Day 9 of Spookytober!  
Prompt: Playing in Piles of Leaves
> 
> Also, bingo fills!:  
Marvel Rare Pair Square N5: Stars  
Ironhusbands Square O3: Terrible Choices

“Come outside with me?” 

Tony nearly startles out of his chair when Rhodey, swear to God, sneaks up behind him, but he doesn’t, which at least preserves some of his dignity. It would be the fourth chair that he had fallen out of this week, the third that would have been 100% Rhodey’s fault, and he would never live it down. Instead, he uses the momentum to spin the spinning chair around, meeting Rhodey’s eyes. 

“But why?” Tony asks, his head tipped up to look at Rhodey. He likes looking at Rhodey from this angle, catching the light shining from different sources up above from the lower angle, making him look almost as if he glows from the inside. Hell, Rhodey practically does. He’s the best part of Tony’s life, the best part of Tony, but this isn’t the time to get caught up in the pretty, flowery words that Tony has never been good at anyway. He rolls his eyes when Rhodey just tugs on his hand instead of answering, but he comes with him anyway, good at saying no when it really benefits him, but not too committed to it if the only consequence of saying yes is just pleasing Rhodey. 

And, himself a little when Rhodey doesn’t drop his hand, instead tangling their fingers. He’s been more affectionate lately, something that makes Tony’s stomach roil at his most even keeled of times, which he hasn’t been in a good long while. His second doctoral thesis is due at the beginning of next month, the first Saturday, and he’s been working pretty much around the clock to the point that he doesn’t even really know what day it is. He knows that the month ends soon, but if you asked him what month it was, it would take him a minute to remember. Rhodey keeps his head on straight. 

“What are we out here for?” Tony asks, his tone mimicking a child’s  _ Are we there yet?  _ in levels of maturity and patience. Rhodey rolls his eyes before pulling them to a stop in a very specific place, a mark in the courtyard rubbed in by what looks like someone running their feet over it for a few minutes. Tony doesn’t bother to ask, just raising an eyebrow in the dark, even if he knows Rhodey won’t see it very well. It’s a full moon tonight, apparently, but that doesn’t mean that Rhodey is even bothering to look. 

“Look up at Orion. The star right next to his belt,” Rhodey says, pointing up at the sky with his free hand. He drags Tony in closer to him, close enough that they’re breathing the same air, and Tony fights himself out of freezing up. “It’s yours,” Rhodey says next, and Tony turns to him, their faces much too close, but he pretends that it’s all in a day. 

“What do you mean?” Tony asks, holding his sarcastic comments in for a moment. Rhodey’s free hand comes down from touching the stars, rubbing at the back of his own neck for a second in a blatant show of his reservations. 

“It’s November 29, your half-birthday. I wasn’t around for your birthday this year, and I didn’t just wanna do this on any old day, so I decided on… today. Tonight, really,” Rhodey explains, uncharacteristically nervous. Tony has no idea what to say, no idea what to do. No one ever gets him anything, let alone anything so frivolous as a  _ star,  _ and how much did Rhodey  _ pay for this?  _ and  _ why?  _ Instead of asking any of these questions, as much as they run through his head, Tony throws his arms around Rhodey’s neck. 

“Thanks, platypus. I love it,” he says, truthful even if it’s an odd choice, and he lingers for longer than he should. He stays pressed against Rhodey, warm, before Rhodey is the one that pulls out of it, though he seems reluctant. 

“You really like it?” he asks, looking Tony in the eyes. It seems awfully bright out here for night when Rhodey looks at him like that. Tony goes for humor. 

“Yeah, even if it’s a bad decision. You know those aren’t recognised by NASA, right?” he teases, yelping immediately after as Rhodey tackles him into a nearby pile of leaves, assumably collected by the yard staff to be burned tomorrow. Tony giggles as Rhodey pins him down, unable to stop himself. 

“You little shit,” Rhodey mutters, going lax on top of him and letting all of his weight weigh down on Tony. He’s a lot bigger than Tony’s 5’6 frame, wider and taller and just generally huge, even if he’s not a big guy in general. Tony relaxes under the weight instead of fighting it, quietly comforted. He has a weighted blanket inside that does this same job, making him feel safe and like he’s  _ not  _ gonna float away in the middle of floating off in his head, and the fact that it’s Rhodey just makes it better. He shouldn’t enjoy it though. He makes himself struggle after a moment, poking Rhodey in the side. 

“Get off of me, you lug,” he says, fully shoving at Rhodey even though it doesn’t make the other boy move an inch. Rhodey’s arms come down around Tony’s shoulders, encompassing him and pulling him up from the ground just a little. It should dig into him uncomfortably, but it’s just warm. 

“You’re the best, Tony, and you deserve the best. You know that, right?” Rhodey asks, his voice suddenly something made of spun glass that makes Tony’s eyes go wide, makes him feel a thousand things he can’t describe. Instead of answering, Tony wraps himself around Rhodey, his arms wrapping around Rhodey’s waist. He rubs his face against Rhodey’s chest, willing himself not to cry. 

“Only the best because you’re the best, Rhodey. Learned it from watching you,” he says, not willing to admit how truthful that is, but glad for the way that it breaks the tension. His arms get dislodged when Rhodey moves across him, sliding downward, so to speak, so that their faces are level. 

“You are the best friend I’ve ever had,” Rhodey says, and then he’s kissing Tony. His lips are warm and slightly chapped and nothing is perfect, but Rhodey comes pretty damn close. Tony should be embarrassed by the high noise he makes, the way that he sounds just as desperate as he feels, but he can’t be. There is no embarrassed around Rhodey. Rhodey is safety personified. 

“I love you,” Tony whispers when they come apart again. He shouldn’t say it so soon, but it’s already done. Rhodey kisses him again and Tony thinks that that’s going to be his answer, that he can’t say it yet, that he doesn’t feel it yet. 

“I love you too,” Rhodey says, and it’s as if a star is bursting somewhere close, like the sun is swallowing him whole. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Kudos and comment!
> 
> Yell at me @primekent on tumblr!


End file.
